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February, 2003 Newsletter
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Am I my brother's keeper? The words ring familiar to our ears. They were spoken by Cain to God after God asked Cain, "Where is your brother?" Cain had already killed Abel but was not ready to own up to what he had done. This sarcastic question of Cain comes up quite often when there is a threat of war. Iraq is a country lead by a fanatic. Whether the Iraqi people know it or not, they are in bondage. Bondage very often takes place when and where there is a lot of money to be made, and Iraq sits upon the largest oil reserve in the world. Money buys power and power threatens the peace of people throughout the world, especially the little people, who often end up paying the price of big people's pride and greed. So what is the answer to the question? Should we go to war or not?
Notice that God doesn't answer Cain's question. The reason has to do with the fact that Cain was not ready for truth. Cain was not capable of dialogue. The avoidance of personal responsibility closes our hearts and minds to truth-to God's answers. Cain's question was framed to put God in a box-a divine "yes" would have made Cain the judge of his brother, and a "no" would have made him innocent and God guilty. So rather than confirm him in his folly, God addresses Cain with the facts of his crime and directly administers punishment upon him, not merely for Cain's sake (God's promised to protect Cain from vigilantes), but for the sake of justice itself, that is, for the sake of humanity in other places and times who must be protected by law. The answer(s) to this question was and is, "yes and no." Yes, God commands us to protect, defend and redeem our brother. "Human rights" are a gift from God the Creator. But no, we are not our brother's keeper in the sense that we are his judge and jury. God is, and unless the judgment of our neighbor is something that we have been vocationally called to do, judgment and punishment must be left to God and His servants.
Permit me to make some applications.
Application #1: Epiphany is the season that celebrates Christ's mission of preaching the Gospel to the world. Are we our brother's keeper? Yes. God has commanded us to take to heart the right of all men to hear the Gospel. The Gospel of Christ that pardons freely and reconciles us to God is the means of eternal life and salvation. All men need to know and hear the Gospel, but no one will unless we send pastors and teachers into the world. But to our question we must also answer, "No." It is not our obligation to make men believe. We are only to be faithful in presenting the Gospel. We should not feel personally responsible if the sweet and blessed Gospel is rejected by men.
Application #2: Epiphany is about life, and because of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade takes place in January, anyone concerned about justice (not just Christians, but all reasonable men) cannot but remember with horror the denial of human rights that have been stripped from unborn children and their parents. We have killed 40 million children through abortion. Am I my brother's keeper? Yes I am. Who will protect these poor children from a sex crazed, "prosperity" culture that invites murder as a means to "freedom and happiness?" But no, I am not my brother's keeper in the sense that I am his judge and jury. People can be beaten with words and attitudes as much as with fists and clubs. To hate is to murder, so to hate an enemy of justice is to hate justice itself. We must put on the mind of Christ and love our enemies into the truth, not denying truth to get there, but being mindful of God's grace as the end-game of all confrontation with sin. And last of all,
Application #3: Lent, soon to come in March, is all about repentance. Repentance prepares us to know and receive the sweet and blessed Gospel. Cain could not see the truth of forgiveness because he did not want to admit that he had sinned and compromised himself, so to justify himself he had to change and modify the truth. This backward self-justification, this Cain-ism, is dangerous. For the sake of pride, nations rise and fall. And so do individual people. Families suffer because one or both parents cannot come to grips with their sins. Organizations and businesses suffer because someone cannot say, "I blew it." Am I my brother's keeper? Yes. If we do not come and lay our sins at the feet of Christ, but instead, proudly justify ourselves to ourselves, our brother will suffer and God will hold us to account for this blindness. But no, I am not his keeper and I am not responsible for his sins, thankfully, because God is His judge. How thankful I am that God will repay. How thankful I am that God is the judge, for He is kinder and more compassionate than I am. How thankful I am when God, who sees the hearts of men, acts not out of pride, but mysteriously works in all circumstances for the repentance and salvation of sinners, even murderers, some of which will, by the grace of God, be joining the rest of us in heaven.
Pastor Fiene
We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5:10
Having said that, how do we do it? There are many different approaches, but almost all of them involve sociology or psychology. Countless surveys and manuals dictate making this type of a contact within this many days, ensuring that members reach a certain level of involvement by a certain deadline, etc. Sometimes, the sociological approaches go to great lengths to try to sound more scientific than they really are. I once saw a form on which a congregation would be rated by a visitor on a variety of factors toward the goal of establishing the congregation's "friendliness quotient."
Now, an increased level of awareness about how we interact and the impressions we give to people is healthy. I would argue, however, that, as strange as it may sound, our first goal is not necessarily even to get visitors to come back. Rather, our first goal is to reflect God's love in Jesus Christ and to be about the business of being who and what God has made us to be-God's called, gathered, enlightened and sanctified people known as the Christian Church. That is to say, we are not a highly trained sales force ready to spring into action at a moment's notice when any prospective member is sighted. Instead, we are a loving and compassionate people with a zeal for bringing those who do not yet know God's forgiveness into fellowship with Him.
Okay, okay, you say. You've just said the same thing in two different ways. The first way it sounds bad; the second way it sounds exalted and theological. Not exactly. The first way is calculated. The first way, if I may be so blunt, is selfish. The first way wants other people to do what we want them to do in order to meet our needs. Perhaps I overstate it a bit, but a highly trained sales force exists to support a business, which has as its ultimate goal the maximization of profit. The goal of the people of God, however, is to be God's instruments in giving something away! We are privileged to be those through whom God has chosen to bring the wonderful good news of forgiveness in Jesus Christ. We are so used to it, that we might not even always realize just how truly radical it is that people voluntarily come to worship and voluntarily give their time and voluntarily give their offerings when, in the end, what is required of them by God for forgiveness is nothing! Jesus has done it all on the cross! God only asks that we receive.
So what does it mean to be the called, gathered, enlightened and sanctified people of God? How does this awareness of my identity as being among the baptized affect what I do and say on Sunday morning and throughout the week? How does it affect our attitude toward new members or even longer term members at Advent?
One way to answer these questions is through the doctrine of Christian vocation. What is Christian vocation? There is a section of the Small Catechism, all too often passed over, called "The Table of Duties." Here, Martin Luther instructs us with God's Word as to how we are supposed to live according to our various callings. To answer the question in another way is to answer the question, "What has God given me to do?" Or, more specifically, "What has God given me to do as His servant at Advent?"
That may not make everything crystal clear, but at the same time, it helps make the question about how I may serve Him not quite so gut-wrenching or frightening. First off, God has given each of us the privilege of worshipping Him and thereby receiving His gifts. That may seem obvious, but it is so thoroughly, fundamentally important that it dare not go unsaid. God's desire for us is to receive His gifts in Jesus Christ. We receive His gifts at worship. To consistently, voluntarily absent ourselves from worship violates God's intention for us as children of God.
Second, God would have us serve Him in both Church and community. We may forget, sometimes, that we are His witnesses when we are away from 11250 North Michigan Road, as well. Yet, tasks that seem humdrum and routine to the world, are elevated by God to holy status! Sweeping streets is God's way of giving us clean and beautiful communities in which to live. Teaching high school science is God's way of bringing knowledge to eternal beings, some of whom will one day be engineers, scientists, teachers, inventors, and artists, and all of whom will have their understanding of God's creation affected by it. Changing a soiled diaper is not something beneath us, but it is God's way of caring for an eternal being who is, for a time, completely unable to care for himself. Living out our vocations, whoever we are or where ever we are, is nothing other than God graciously blessing sinful humanity through us.
What additional vocations might we have that relate to our time at 11250 North Michigan Road? God would have each of us, in our own way, be of service to others and, thereby, to Him. For many of us, this will be a friendly greeting or conversation with those who are unfamiliar. For others, it may be making coffee or picking up donuts or setting up tables or chairs. For some it may be welcoming the little ones and teaching them about God's love in Sunday school class. For a few, it may mean inviting someone into their home for further conversation and friendship. For all of us, it means being who we are as God's baptized children and being confident that God will use what He has created and sustained for His eternal glory.
Yes, each Sunday morning, as well as each weekday of our lives, it really is that big! God would use you to accomplish His eternal purposes in Jesus Christ in the lives of people all around us. Our ordinary lives, when lived out in faith and in conformity with God's will, are made holy by God's blessing. God is indeed active in the world, and He acts, more often than not, through human beings He has created-you and me working together to accomplish God's purpose at Advent and in the world around us, for Christ's sake.
Pastor Wurdeman
Deb Trewartha
If you are interested in helping with the meals call Joyce Levenhagen at 873-6663 to indicate your intent and availability. You do not have to volunteer for all 6 weeks - although you can if you'd like.
Gloria Bredehoeft
Deb Trewartha
All women and confirmed young women are invited to attend. There is nothing to "join" and no dues. Bring a friend and see for yourself.
Gloria Bredehoeft
Joyce Levenhagen
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Martin Luther King, Jr.
We earned this prestigious award as a result of the generous donations of time and talent from members of our Lutheran congregations. On behalf of those we serve together, I thank you!
In His Service, Sven Schumacher, Executive Director
To hear the presentations, visit the CTS web site at www.ctsfw.edu. Go to CTS Live, which is located in the Contents box under the four photos on the top left-hand side of the screen, and then click on Symposia.